Mariner Energy Off Hook For $25M In Rita Damage Suit

Law360, New York (February 16, 2010, 3:04 PM EST) -- A federal judge has handed Mariner Energy Inc. a win in its declaratory suit against Devon Energy Production Co. over an abandonment liability contract for an oil and gas block damaged during Hurricane Rita, ruling that Mariner is liable only for decommissioning costs agreed to prior to the storm.

Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on Thursday granted Mariner’s motion for partial summary judgment that it owes only $4.3 million in abandonment expenses for the block, while...